TreeA10

Got snagged for a scheduled deadhead to PHL to fly Rome. I did the scheduled flight in the day prior but the FB was commuting in the day of departure. The FB was commuting from Jacksonville, had two flights cancel, got the last flight available, and landed in Philly 20 minutes from departure. I don't non-rev travel well and the stress of commuting would make me an unhappy camper. However, I fly with a lot of guys that have been commuting for decades and are obviously okay with it.

In 23 years, nobody has asked for it.

Saw this today:. What's the difference between a crack addict and a FO on a 777? You can get an addict off crack. Lots of truth in that joke.

Hhmm, death rates also match obesity rates. Weird.

Been at AA going on 23 years and I'll say it is kind of a crap shoot. You only realize the validity of your decision when you retire. For instance, I was hired in early 99. Before me was the Air Cal and Trans Carib purchase. Reno happened just as I got hired. Then along came TWA and then US Air. TWA brought along the Ozark animosity toward seniority issues and US Airways brought the whole East vs America West seniority issues and then we wrapped all that up and dumped it into American Airlines. So, lots of pilots had lots of expectations that didn't quite work out as planned and lots of pilots are still pissed off because "they were cheated." I think I passed the 7000 mark on seniority list 3 times. We have pilots upgrading to Captain with seniority numbers 10,000+. Sounds good but you need to ask why do the more senior pilots not want the job? I'm a wide body FO with a 4200-ish number and have no desire to jump into that narrow body domestic mess plus I just got paid to sleep 7 hours on the jet plus had a nice seafood dinner in Madrid on my last trip. So, what kind of trips do you want to fly and what sort of upgrade opportunities will you have at your airline of choice? I'm based at DFW and it is a very senior base so it will take you longer to upgrade from narrow to wide body or FO to CA. Had a Miami based 10,000+ seniority number FO on his IOE on my last trip, also. (Just looked up FO seniority numbers for DFW and our junior wide body FO is actually @10,100.) Those opportunities come quicker if you are willing to commute. I commuted for 6 months when I first got hired and haven't done it since. However, I fly with a lot of commuters so it is doable.

The proverbial golden BB?

Coordinate with the local controllers. Back in my T-38 IP days, I wanted to fly over the St. Louis arch which is inside all sorts of airspace. Controller said he could make it happen and that I would have to be VFR but still follow his vectors exactly. So, give them a call. Another option might be to call around for a group of RV-4 guys. We have a bunch here SW of Ft. Worth that routinely do formation work and have done a few fly bys.

Warrior ethos vs peacetime dirtbag vs wokeism. Interesting article. https://chrisbray.substack.com/p/rough-men-strange-peace?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Kind of makes you want to give a good 'ol fashioned "Heil FJB" to the Fuhrer der Demenz.

Summary: What rational person wants to go into combat and depend on leadership or fellow airmen, soldiers, sailors, or marines selected for non-warrior criteria that could get you killed.

https://www.amazon.com/FERRY-PILOT-Lives-North-Atlantic-ebook/dp/B08DRR6SJF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QR47257ZOBI7&keywords=ferry+pilot&qid=1662002877&s=digital-text&sprefix=Ferry+%2Cdigital-text%2C179&sr=1-1

Recently read a good book about a guy that ferried twin and single engine airplanes across the Atlantic routinely. Some real interesting mechanical failure high pucker factor incidents over the water and also going across the African continent. Sounded like the standard 98% boredom, 2% sheer terror kind of thing. Very good read.

Original equipment or after market add ons? If you say you have said equipment, is a physical exam actually required or is your internal emotions, i.e. your feelings, telling you that you have said equipment good enough? Just trying to plot out my next career move.

What if my can of whip cream identifies as spray paint?

A longish article but an interesting take on Putins world view. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russian-federation/world-putin-wants-fiona-hill-angela-stent?fbclid=IwAR1lWMagSxVtC_IeaNcEJTQcbCygMdWo1YkICCsuIQxG7Z0QuxN28ZmdFXE

Some history on how the road to higher taxes is paved with good intentions. https://www.dailywire.com/news/why-college-prices-have-spiraled

I thought that thing could be wenched up if it quit working.

The judge Rick Rolled us!

While Bernie Bros and AOC types whine and rant about Big Oil, Big Pharma, and whatever other Big, Big College has far exceeded all others in the rate of increase in price. But the biggest supporter of the Leftist Libs are College educated white women so FJB is paying off his base.

The government gave $200k to some green haired person to pay for a degree in intersectional drum circles with a gender queer emphasis at some Ivy league SJW indoctrination school so now taxpayers have to pick up the tab because, surprisingly, you only qualify for a minimum wage job as a Starbucks barista with such an education.

Another reason to have suspicion or doubt in the esteemed FBI. I read Atkinnsons book a few years ago and at that time, she was sure it was a three letter agency that hacked her computer/devices but didn't say which one. Looks like the FBI is the culprit. Her comment about an agent admitting to putting child porn on a computer to go after someone is something I had not heard. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2022/08/sharyl_attkisson_reveals_how_low_the_fbi_will_go.html

Everything old is new again. The obsession continues as some familiar names are back for another round of chucking harpoons at the Great Orange Whale. https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/08/18/fbi_unit_leading_mar-a-lago_probe_previously_led_russiagate_hoax_848582.html

Normal? In 200+ years of existence, no president current or former, past or present has had their home raided by law enforcement. Normal would not enter the conversation. Unprecedented would be a better choice. The regime had better find a check from the Russians written directly to Trump for nuke secrets, stealth technology, the location of Jimmy Hoffa, the recipe for Coke (original not New Coke), and Scarlett Johansson s phone number. Any failing to dot an i or cross a t bullshit isn't going to cut it but I think that's what the FBI has done.

I'm not advocating anything because one side may already be there. I'm wondering if both sides should play by what seems to be the newly accepted rules. I don't hear too many Democrats or media, but I repeat myself, standing up saying what has occurred is wrong, unfair, or illegal which means they are okay with it. You say bring the FBI to heel but an agency that has displayed a variety of lies, omissions, and contempt to unseat a president isn't going willingly to that end and can't be made to go without BOTH parties calling for it. Sliding into partisan authoritarianism? By my observation, we've slid. One side put us there and seems happy with it. But you start to make the voting process questionable, force a variety of mandates on people, and the rule of law only applies when one side benefits and the problem will be people NOT giving up on America but how they respond. It won't be good for our country. For example, look at the wonderful label this guy just applied to half the citizens of this country. https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2022/08/18/what-obamas-former-cia-director-just-said-shows-why-people-dont-trust-their-government-n2611946

Yeah, I like to think the role of law applied without bias is the best way to go but I'm not sure it's possible anymore. I've held that belief for as long as I can remember but it has been slowly chiseled away over the years. Was it Lois Lerner at the IRS not being held accountable? Was it the FBI lovebirds investigating Trump exhibiting bias not being held accountable? Was it an FBI agent lying to get a FISA warrant to spy on US citizens getting a slap on the wrist? Was it Muller who spent 2 years investigating the Trump Russian collusion hoax not just not looking into the Steele dossier but acted like he hadn't heard of it? And now the FBI has raided the home of a former president. Was it the FBI intentionally deep sixing Hunters laptop? Was it guys like Clapper, Brennan, and Macabe that demonstrably lied to Congress not being help accountable? Was it the 50 intel people who lied and said Hunters laptop was Russian disinfo not being help accountable? Then there are Antifa rioters vs capitol hill rioters, illegals crossing the boarder without vaccination were good vs citizens without vaccinations were bad. And this just a short list of stuff I can think of at 6am. There have been so many contradictory actions from DC that break down to ideology that I'm not sure fair is possible anymore. It is tribal. So, do you stick with the old rules and laws which are being applied unidirectionally and your tribe continues to lose or go with the new rules which seems to be that winning is the only rule and whatever it takes to win is okay. Either path is going to be very bad for the future of our country.